


Land of Crowns and Coral

by PizzaBagelBoy



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Merstuck, Post-Sburb/Sgrub
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-16
Updated: 2015-04-26
Packaged: 2018-04-07 03:00:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4246902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PizzaBagelBoy/pseuds/PizzaBagelBoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Under the clouds and lunar gaze,</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Two kingdoms rule beneath the waves.</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>With castles, kings and armies each,</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Neither dares go beyond the Reach.</i>
  </p>
</div><br/><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Fathomless depths and creatures wild,</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>A vast expanse; a world defiled.</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>All who go, no matter how swift,</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Are forever lost to the endless Rift.</i>
  </p>
</div><br/><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Heed the warning, all must know:</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Beyond the Reach lies endless woe.</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>A message to all, and those beguiled:</i>
  </p>
</div><div class="center">
  <p>
    <i>Beware the ones who lurk below.</i>
  </p>
</div><br/><br/>Inspired by the incredible artwork of Ikimaru and her fantastic interpretation of the Merstuck AU! Check out her amazing work here:<p>
  <a href="http://ikimaru.tumblr.com/">http://ikimaru.tumblr.com/</a>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ==> Knight: Wake.

gardenGnostic [GG] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]

GG: karkat!  
GG: hey, wake up!  
GG: come oooooooon wake up already! :B  
CG: JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, JADE.  
CG: IT'S 6:30 IN THE GODDAMN MORNING.  
CG: WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?  
GG: sorry!  
GG: im just excited thats all!!!!!  
GG: its our first day of school today! i cant wait :B  
CG: *GROAN*  
CG: FUCK SCHOOL. I WANT TO STAY THE FUCK IN BED.  
GG: awwww come on dont be like that :(  
GG: itll be fun i promise!!  
CG: NOPE. NOT BUYING IT.  
GG: pleeeeeeeeeease karkat!!!  
GG: i dont want to be alone on my first day at school :(  
CG: YOU WON'T BE ALONE, YOU'RE WAY TOO NICE FOR THAT. YOU MAKE FRIENDS LIKE INSTANTLY.  
CG: I BET YOU'LL HAVE MADE AT LEAST FIVE NEW FRIENDS BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY.  
CG: I WILL SERIOUSLY BET MY LUNCH MONEY ON IT.  
GG: but what if the other kids are mean :/  
GG: then ill be scared as well as on my own!!  
GG: i need my big strong knight to protect me :B  
CG: PFFT.  
GG: pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!!!!!!!  
GG: dont make me do the puppy dog eyes!  
CG: OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE.  
GG: im doing the puppy dog eyes!  
CG: JADE, YOU KNOW I CAN'T SEE YOU.  
GG: im doing them!!!  
CG: THIS IS RIDICULOUS.  
GG: sorry cant hear you too busy doing the puppy dog eyes!!!!!!  
CG: OH MY FUCKING GOD ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ENOUGH.  
CG: YOU KNOW DAMN WELL I WAS GOING TO SHOW UP ANYWAY.  
GG: haha i knew it!  
GG: youre the best karkat :B  
CG: YEAH, YEAH.  
CG: I'M GOING THE FUCK BACK TO SLEEP THOUGH THIS IS WAY TOO GODDAMN EARLY.  
CG: I'LL MEET YOU AT THE PIER AT A REASONABLE FUCKING HOUR.  
GG: youre anything but reasonable!!  
GG: how am i supposed to know what time that is!!!  
CG: ALRIGHT THEN, 8:30. HOW'S THAT?  
GG: sounds good! :D  
CG: COOL. GOING TO SLEEP NOW.  
GG: haha okay!  
GG: bye karkat, have a nice sleep!! :) <3

gardenGnostic [GG] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]


	2. ==> Karkat: Set the scene.

Your name is KARKAT VANTAS. You are currently TIRED AS FUCK and are awaiting the imminent arrival of your BEST FRIEND. You do not have many friends. In fact, besides your BEST FRIEND you can only think of three other people in the whole city that you would even come close to classifying as friends. This does not make you particularly popular, especially considering one of them suffers from a CRIPPLING DISABILITY and the other two are FRANKLY A BIT WEIRD.

But nevermind that; your friend is almost here.

The ferry glides in across the mild waves and comes to a slow halt in front of the pier, one of the operators jumping off the side onto the wooden platform in order to secure the vessel in place. You stand up straight from your position leaning against a pole and wait for your friend to disembark. She does so with customary gusto, completely ignoring the man currently extending the boardwalk onto the pier - a wasted effort considering your friend is the only passenger - and leaping over the railing, landing with a heavy thud on the aged wood.

"Hey Jade," you greet her as you approach.

"Hey Karkat!" she says with glee and wraps you in a warm hug.

"You are seriously way too excited for this," you say.

"No I'm not! It's going to be so much fun!" she begins walking towards the city along the boulevard, and you fall in step beside her.

"I bet all of my shitty coding tutorials that it's going to be an absolute snoozefest. Grown-ups yapping at us to fill in the blanks on a contrived assignment that will ultimately teach us nothing and in the end only waste our valuable time that could be better spent doing something slightly more fucking productive. Like sleeping."

"You're just grumpy you had to get up so early," she punches you in the shoulder.

"Who wouldn't be? I mean, besides you and your unnaturally perky disposition to just about fucking everything."

"Lots of people! There is such a thing as a morning person you know, Karkat."

"I want to know who invented the term. Then I want them dug up and hung by their toes in the blistering sun until they wish they'd been born as a nocturnal creature."

"Come on, cheer up! I'm sure it'll be nice and dark in the classrooms."

"You really think so?" you give her a hopeful look laced with sarcasm.

"Oh shush you!" she giggles and you both enjoy the moment as a comfortable silence sets in.

You turn your gaze out to the open ocean, taking in the deep blue and the hypnotic motion of the waves as they flow in from the horizon, crashing into the coastline and receding back, as though attempting to swallow up the land but failing every time, only to try again. The ocean has always terrified you, and you can't imagine how Jade manages to cross it every day; you fall to pieces at the thought of getting anywhere near the water.

The only time you like to be near the ocean is on the beach in the afternoon, rolling your trousers up to your knees and sitting on the sand with Jade and just whiling away the time, talking about whatever comes to mind, or just lazing about before heading home. Sometimes you like to go down to the beach alone and collect shells just for something to do when you become irrevocably bored, which isn't very often but it still happens; mostly when Jade isn't in town and isn't answering her Pesterchum.

You spend a lot of time with Jade. You've known each other since you were both thirteen, though how you met is a wonder in itself. You had never been particularly fond of water in the first place, and your guardian took you to the beach one day to try and teach you to swim, and you'd been very reluctant. You'd seen the other kids swimming at the public pools in the city but you were too anxious to go and try swimming with them, so your guardian took you to the beach where you could practice in relative secret.

You had only been at the beach for about an hour when you came out of the water and noticed a lot of blaring sirens and loud noises. Your guardian had snatched you up out of the water and wrapped their arms around you protectively, and once you wiped the seawater from your eyes you followed their gaze to an ambulance parked a little further down the beach, and paramedics rushing to retrieve something from the water. You remember squinting to see what it was, initially thinking it must have been some kind of animal that had been washed ashore by the tide. 

But then you realised that it was a girl. A human child, no older than you, face down in the sand with a mess of wild hair entangled with seaweed. She hadn't looked like she was moving, and they bundled her up into the ambulance and sped off. One of the paramedics stayed behind and questioned your guardian, asking them a lot of things that you don't really remember that well. You do remember being picked up by the coast guard and dropped off at the hospital, where you saw the girl on a bed with wheels - all sorts of tubes were running from her into various machines around the bed - being pushed rapidly through the hospital halls and into the emergency room.

You sat there waiting for what seemed like hours. The hospital staff wrapped a blanket around you and they would come in occasionally and ask your guardian more questions, but they wouldn't let you leave. You just sat there, wrapped in a blanket and trying not to die of hypothermia while your guardian paced nervously up and down the hall, or sat next to you staring at the wall and biting their nails. Eventually one of the nurses came out and said the girl was going to be okay, and you remember the look on your guardian's face: so relieved, so happy for this girl they didn't even know. They asked the two of you some more questions, and after a while they finally let you both head home.

You went back to visit her every day afterward, partially because you were curious as to why your guardian was so concerned about her, and partially because you were worried as well. After a bit of a shaky start you slowly started becoming friends. About a week later a man came in - a teenager, you thought, but much older than you - and claimed to be the girl's brother. When they let him see her and she recognised and identified him, they released her into his custody. She wrote down her username for an online chat client and gave it to you:

gardenGnostic :B

"Hey, Karkat! Wake up!" Jade waves a hand in front of your face, and you almost trip over yourself as you snap back to reality.

"Fuck, sorry. Just kind of drifted off."

"No kidding! You haven't said a word for the past twenty minutes! We're almost there," she said, beaming.

You look ahead and gaze upon the lofty skyscrapers and dark grey concrete of countless buildings, all compacted together into impossibly close spaces and looming ominously over everything in the vicinity. 

"Midnight City," you exhale, mentally preparing yourself for a long day of yawning and boredom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there all!
> 
> It's been a while since I posted anything, I know, and I'm sorry to any of my regular readers who have been waiting patiently! I'm not sure how many of you there are, but knowing that I have at least one regular makes me feel pretty damn awesome!
> 
> Anyway, this is something a little different. I mentioned earlier in the notes of a previous fic that I was working on something big, and that it involved a certain fantasy creature of the aquatic variety. This may or may not be (hint: it is) that, so I hope I can do a good job and pull it off!
> 
> This is the first real meaty chapter after the more vague sort of prologue in the form of a short pesterlog that I posted the other day. I only had this chapter planned out up until the point where Jade got off the pier and they started walking to school - originally I think I'd planned in my head as I was writing it to provide some background on the location; where they were, and where stuff was relative to them. But instead I ended up sort of not doing that at all and instead giving some probably very obnoxious exposition as to Jade's backstory in this particular AU.
> 
> I don't think it flows very well and it was probably a bad idea to throw all that at you guys in the first big chapter, so I'm hoping you've got some constructive criticism for me! This fic is going to be a big project and I'm going to try a few new things in it, so I appreciate all the help I can get with making it better!


	3. ==> Seer: Consult with the Maid.

gallowsCalibrator [GC] began floundering apocalypseArisen [AA]

GC: H3Y 4R4D14!  
AA: hi terezi! :)  
GC: HOW 1S MY F4VOUR1T3 SOC13T4L OUTC4ST DO1NG?  
AA: not too bad! things are going rather well actually  
GC: OH R34LLY?? 4NYTH1NG 1NT3R3ST1NG TO R3PORT? >:]  
AA: not interesting to you i imagine!  
GC: Y34H YOUR3 PROB4BLY R1GHT  
GC: MOR3 BOR1NG 4RCH43OLOGY STUFF R1GHT?  
AA: its not boring!  
AA: its really exciting :(  
GC: BUT YOU JUST 4DM1TT3D 1 PROB4BLY WOULDNT B3 1NT3R3ST3D  
GC: SO TO M3 4T L34ST 1TS NOT V3RY 1NT3R3ST1NG  
GC: UNL3SS 1TS SOM3 K1ND OF H1STOR1C4L L3DG3R ON TR14LS 4ND 3X3CUT1ONS!! >:D  
AA: O_O  
GC: H3H3H3 1M JUST M3SS1NG W1TH YOU 4R4D14  
GC: BUT S3R1OUSLY 1 W4S WOND3R1NG 1F YOU W4NT3D TO COM3 ON  
GC: 4N 4DV3NTUR3  
GC: >:]  
AA: ooh what kind of adventure?  
GC: 1M GO1NG TO TH3 SURF4C3 4G41N  
GC: YOU 1N??  
AA: hmmm  
AA: im sorry terezi id love to but this particular discovery is just too exciting!!!  
AA: maybe next time?  
GC: >:?  
GC: WH4T COULD B3 MOR3 1NT3R3ST1NG TH4N SPY1NG ON TH3 HUM4NS?  
AA: i thought you werent interested terezi!!!  
GC: W3LL NOW 1 4M >:[  
AA: uh oh hes acting up again  
AA: gotta go sorry!  
AA: ill talk to you later  
AA: bye!!!  
GC: W41T  
GC: H3?

apocalypseArisen [AA] ceased floundering gallowsCallibrator [GC]


	4. ==> Jade: Set the scene a little better.

Your name is JADE HARLEY. You are currently PUMPED AS FUCK and ready for your FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Of course, it's not your first day of school _ever_ , just your first day for this year. You have in fact been attending secondary school for THREE YEARS, since you were a mere thirteen years old. In fact, you don't really remember much about your life before that. You always thought that was PRETTY WEIRD, but you never questioned it. You've always put your trust in your OLDER BROTHER, and he has never led you astray!

You've lived with your brother on a small island off the coast of the mainland your whole life. It's pretty great, but you wish you lived a little closer to the city so you could see Karkat more often! It takes you a good fifteen minutes to get to the pier by ferry, and then another ten minute walk to get to school. Fortunately the school is conveniently located on the very edge of the city, on the south side. Karkat actually lives in the northern part of the city, but he always gets up early and walks all the way down to the pier to meet you in the mornings, so you're not all by yourself for the walk to school. You always thought that was pretty sweet of him.

The school comes into view and you decide to indulge in some last-minute geographical exposition. The school is fairly small by secondary school standards, although it does command a rather magnificent view of Beforus Bay, and the vast ocean beyond. You can see your island in the distance, your tower home standing tall against the light blue sky, threatening to pierce the clouds should they drift too low. You love your tower. Your room is at the very top and you love to stay up at night and gaze out at the stars. The island is far enough away from the city to escape most of the pollution, giving you a near perfect view of the heavens. And it is _gorgeous_.

"Jade?" a voice asks.

"Huh?" you reply.

"We're here. Wake the fuck up."

You blink. Wow, you spaced out a little there. Weird.

"Sorry," you say distractedly, your excitement for the coming day returning. "Hey look! It's Gamzee!"

Karkat follows your gaze and almost immediately covers his face in his palm. "Oh, for fuck's sake..."

Your tall and lanky juggalo friend is sitting cross legged atop the outstretched hand of the statue that stands in the courtyard of the main school building, looking dazed but deliriously happy as he looks up at the sky with an open-mouthed toothy smile. People walking past snicker and giggle to themselves; Gamzee's antics never cease to entertain your fellow classmates. Nor do they cease to annoy a certain crabby customer.

"Hi Gamzee!" you say cheerfully, giving him a little wave.

"Gamzee, get the fuck down!" Karkat hisses as you reach the statue. Usually you'd be the one to tell Karkat to lighten up, but you realise just how high up Gamzee is - about five metres off the ground - and reconsider your stance.

"Oh, hey there best friend, sis" Gamzee says in his customary drawl. His gravelly voice echoes across the courtyard, and you can tell this altercation is going to be anything but private.

"Don't give me that best friend bullshit, get the fuck down here! How did you even get up there?"

"Well, I all up and climbed that shit, my main motherfucker. Why don't you join me? The clouds are motherfuckin' pretty."

"The clouds?!" Karkat does his best to stifle himself, but you can already see his face turning a light shade of pink.

"Yeah, motherfucker. You know those white fluffy things all up in the motherfuckin' sky? Sometimes they go all grey and shit, and usually that means shit's about to get real fuckin' wet, you know what I'm sayin' bro? But most of the time they just all up and be floatin' around like the fuckin' miracles they are. I tell you man, motherfuckin' miracles."

You cover your mouth and let out a giggle; you always thought Gamzee's unique way of looking at the world was endearing, even if you have no godly idea what he's thinking half the time.

"GAMZEE! GET THE FUCK DOWN!" Karkat abandons all pretense of civility and clandestine scolding, drawing the immediate attention of everyone in the courtyard, and a few faces from behind closed windows on the upper floors of the main building.

"Hello, friends," a breathy voice comes from behind you, making you and Karkat jump.

"Hey there Horsebro, what's motherfuckin' crack-a-lackin'?" Gamzee waves at the newcomer.

"Equius, what the fuck! I told you to stop sneaking up on us and literally breathing down our fucking necks when you talk!" Karkat directs his anger toward your mutual friend.

"Please do not speak to me like that, Karkat. Your language is most foul."

"Hi Equius!" you pipe up, realising you haven't seen Equius all holidays.

"Hello, Jade. How have you been?" he asks you with genuine warmth in his voice. "I hope you have been keeping out of trouble."

"Of course! What kind of trouble could I possibly get into?" you say with a smile, which only widens as you see Equius look at Karkat, red-faced and seething, and Gamzee, who has gone back to staring at the clouds.

"None whatsoever," he finally says. Equius has always been pretty protective of you, but in a way that was more authoritative than loving. You don't mind so much, even when he gives you one of his stern looks of disapproval.

"Hey, where's Tavros?" you ask, looking around. "Is he here yet?"

"Perhaps he was somehow delayed," suggests Equius.

"Probably stuck on the bus, more like," Karkat says dismissively.

Gamzee suddenly bolts upright and everyone jumps as he lets out a startled gasp, as though he's just remembered something incredibly important.

"AH! I left Tavros on the bus!" he cries. "I didn't up and get his motherfuckin' wheelie device from the holdy thingy above the seats!"

He practically vaults from the statue and hits the ground running, headed towards the bus stop.

"I'm comin' Tavbro!" you hear him calling out desperately.

A moment passes. "Did he forget his bag?" you ask, noticing a purple duffel bag draped over the statue's shoulder.

"Fucking crazy clown," Karkat grumbles, retrieving the bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "How the fuck did he forget Tavros? And why the fuck wasn't Tavros IN his wheelchair on the bus?!"

"I believe I saw Tavros sitting on Gamzee's lap the last time I took the bus home," answers Equius.

You look at him blankly and Karkat once again buries his face in his hand. "Why do I put up with you people?" he growls and makes his way to the main building's front door as the bell rings for homeroom. You skip up and fall in step behind him and Equius heads off to one of the other buildings.

Yep, this is going to be an interesting first day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well damn, it's been a little while hasn't it? This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I haven't updated this in a while so I figure it's better to just get something out there.
> 
> I tried to keep the exposition to a minimum in this one, and include some more dialogue to introduce the characters and flesh out the relationships a bit. I like to think I do dialogue pretty well - that's why I like writing pesterlogs so much - but I'll let you guys be the judge of that.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	5. ==> Karkat: Get through this day without losing your shit.

Well, you've already failed quite spectacularly at that particular endeavour. Bang up job there, dumbass.

Even if you hadn't already lost your shit at Gamzee earlier, you don't think you could suffer through the rest of this godforsaken miserable day if you even tried. Sure, you get to hang out with Jade, but you can do that literally any other fucking day (and you pretty much have every day of the end of year holidays). You don't even know why you go to school; a lot of the stuff you learn seems to be aimless bullshit designed to keep you busy for seven hours a day while all the kids' parents are at work. Lucky bastards; at least they're _paid_ to do busywork. Nonetheless, your guardian insists that you have to go. It's apparently "the law" or some inane bullshit. You've just given up arguing with them.

At least you get to choose half of your classes this year. You had elective classes last year as well, but you didn't really like any of the options, so it was pretty much a case of picking the best of the worst. This year there were some actual I.T courses, and you picked all of them in the hopes that one of them might help you out with your coding at home. You like to think of yourself as an expert in computer programming, but in reality you're actually kind of terrible at it. You also picked the "Robotics" course since it's kind of I.T you suppose? You make robots out of Lego pieces and then you use computers to program the robots to perform simple tasks. At least that's what the course outline said in a nutshell. You're pretty sure Equius picked that class too; that guy is mad about robots. You guess if you have any trouble you can just get help from him.

Right now though, you're not in any of your I.T classes. You're stuck in boring-as-fuck English, learning fuck-knows-what about some stupid book that you're apparently supposed to have read already because holy shit the teacher will not stop talking to explain anything that she's saying. You don't even know why you're reading a book for class; you mean, you get that reading is important and all that and you guess it's relevant to English, but when you look around your classroom and see all the dumbfuck morons in your class, and when you read the excrement on paper that they submit as work, you wonder how they wouldn't be better off learning how to fucking spell and construct a goddamn sentence before they start trying to understand the words that other people have written, let alone the hidden subtexts and deep meaning and symbolism behind those words. 

You've given up listening to the teacher, figuring you can just ask Jade to give you the short version later. Instead you gaze out of the window, head resting on your fist, watching the waves crash against the rocky cove at the end of the beach. You are so goddamn bored that anything is better than listening to the teacher drone on about how to bullshit examiners into thinking you know what you're talking about. Why is she even telling you this? Practice exams aren't even until next year. 

Wait, what was that?

You sharpen your focus on the rocks, peering suspiciously at them, watching for anything unusual.

Nothing.

Weird, you swear you saw something move. Maybe you were just drifting off thinking about how much of an idiot the teacher is.

There, again!

You blink and rub your eyes, painfully aware of just how much of a fucking cliche that shit is, and stare those fucking rocks down.

A minute passes.

There! You fucking knew it! Something is definitely moving down there. Every time you see it the waves break off and splash against the rocks in a different direction than the tide, so you know it must be something relatively big. Maybe it's just kids playing at the rocks? No, all the kids would be in school at this time of day. What the hell is it then?

"Mr Vantas," the teacher pipes up in her annoying, squeaky voice. "Would you care to explain the significance of the blue curtains in the room?"

Fuck. You snap back around from the window, quickly scanning the room. Jade is frantically gesturing at you, making no goddamn sense whatsoever. "Sorry miss, what blue curtains?" you ask. You instantly realise your stupidity as the class breaks out into giggles and snorts. Jade facepalms. The teacher is fuming.

"Pay attention, young man!" she harps at you. "If you can't even concentrate on this most basic of texts, what hope do you have in the years to come when you will be _examined_ on much harder ones?!"

You lower your eyes, looking down at the blank page of your notebook. "Sorry, miss."

She gives you a "Humph," and turns her nose up, turning on her heel to pompously stride back towards the whiteboard.

You glance back out the window, making a mental note to go down to the rocks and investigate what you saw.

***

The bell finally rings to signal the end of the day. Thank god. You were just about ready to impale someone on the sharp end of a protractor.

You quickly pack up your books and throw your pencils and crap into your pencil case and zip it up. Jade approaches you as you pick up your things, holding her books to her chest in that weird way that all the girls at your school seem to do. You always thought that was weird.

"Soooooo?" she asks with a smile.

"So what?" you reply gruffly.

"It wasn't that bad was it?"

"I don't know Jade, you know how I feel about math."

"I meant the whole day, numbnuts! And hey, math is fun!"

"Eh, it was bearable. And math is definitely NOT fun. It's the complete opposite of fun. It's total misery. I don't know why you like it so much."

"Because it's like a puzzle! You just move the numbers around in a way that gives you what you're looking for. And stop being such a grump!"

"Jade, if I had a single fuck to give for every time you told me to stop being a grump, I would be the most philanthropic, kind-hearted soul you've ever met. Honestly, the thought of it makes me gag."

She giggles. "Well, what's in store now that you can escape from this nightmare of numbers?"

"I was actually just going to head down to the beach. I saw something weird down by the rocks across from the school when I was in English; I'm going to check it out. Want to come?"

She hesitates. "Sorry Karkat, I can't. I've got some stuff to do in the village this afternoon."

"What could you possibly have to do in that dreary old place?"

"I've got to visit an old friend. Er, a family friend. They happen to live there. Besides, I much prefer the town to the city. It's way too crowded up here, and yet everything's so... distant. It's so much nicer in the village. The people are friendly, the air is much cleaner, and it's just more... personal, I guess."

"Suit yourself."

The two of you make your way to the lockers, and Jade just throws her books inside and grabs her bag, closing the locker and heading towards the door. Of course, she has no need to study at this level of schooling.

"See ya Karkat! I'll talk to you tonight!" she calls back to you over her shoulder.

"Later," you wave, stooping down to open your locker and grab your IT books. You hate having a bottom locker; it kills your back having to crouch down and haul yourself back up multiple times on a daily basis. Your coding textbook is all the way at the back, and so you lean forward and reach in to grab it, your head halfway into the locker.

"Sup, best friend?" you jump and smack your head on the edge of your locker.

"OW, FUCK!" you exclaim, rubbing the back of your head. You look up to see Gamzee leaning on the door to your locker, that big spaced out grin spread across his face.

"What the fuck Gamzee? We literally had this talk again this morning!"

He gives you a confused look. "I don't remember nothin' about a talk, bro. I sure remember you yellin' a lot. Not sure what about. But I most definitely remember a whole lot o' yellin'. You're one loud motherfucker aren't you? Like a massive horn pile that just all up and got dumped on with a bunch of bricks and shit." His gaze shifts upward and he stares off into the distance.

You sigh. "Nevermind. Just stop sneaking up on people, alright? It's really fucking creepy."

After a few moments he seems to snap back to reality and looks back and flashes you a toothy grin again. "Whatever you say, best friend." You know damn well he's not going to stop sneaking up on people; stoned asshole probably doesn't even realise that he's doing it.

"What is my main motherfuckin' miracle brother up to this time of day anyway?" he asks.

"Just heading down to the beach to check something out," you answer.

"Oh that sounds motherfuckin' sweet. I bet you'll find some real good miracles down there."

"Yeah, sure."

"Well I best be on my motherfuckin' way. I'm getting my think on that I do believe I left Tavbro up in the media room again."

"Jesus fuck, again?!"

"Yeeeeeeah."

He chuckles a little and slowly stands back up. "Catch you later, best friend." He gives you a wave and starts ambling off in the direction of the media room.

God fucking help Tavros.

***

You make it to the beach without further interruption, and make your way to the rocks at the end of the sand. You watch the waves carefully, noting how they crash against the rocks. You watch them for about five minutes before groaning in frustration; nothing is out of the ordinary. You could have sworn you saw something. The way the waves moved, it wasn't normal. Something had definitely been there. You sit down on the rocks and sigh in defeat.

A small rock falls from its place behind you and crashes into the water. Your top half whirls around and almost have a heart attack when you see half a face peering at you from behind the rocks. The unknown observer gasps and retreats from sight, and you take a few moments to breathe before calling out.

"Who's there?" you ask.

No response. You turn yourself around so that you're facing where the rock fell.

"Come on, I know you're there. You scared the shit out of me!"

Still nothing. You sigh.

"Alright, if you're not going to come out, I'll just have to come and find you!"

"No, don't!" a voice replies.

"Well come out then," you say hesitantly.

A few moments pass before a pair of eyes appear from behind the rocks again. They peer at you curiously, and are soon followed with an entire face and bare shoulders. You suddenly blush when you realise you are looking at a girl, and she doesn't seem to have a shirt on. Her chest is still obscured by the rocks, but your adolescent mind instantly starts to wander. You cover your eyes and look away.

"I'm sorry!" you blurt out. "I - I didn't, um... are you... er..."

The girl giggles. You blush even harder; she sounds cute.

"I'm not topless, silly boy," she laughs.

You tentatively move your hand and open your eyes, slowly turning back to face the girl, who proceeds push herself up so that she is leaning on the rock, her chin resting on folded arms. You catch a glimpse during the motion of what looks likes a bra made of clam shells. Her eyes grow lidded and her voice turns sultry.

"But I bet you wish I was," she says in a breathy voice that sends shivers down your spine. You immediately feel your cheeks flush red and you turn away, once again covering your eyes with your hand.

She lets out a loud cackle, and you wonder what the fuck her deal is. You start to feel a bit frustrated, and look back at her again, this time shooting her a glare.

"What are you even doing here?" you ask.

She makes a show of thinking hard about her answer. "Swimming, of course!" she exclaims as she hits her forehead with her open palm, as though she's just had an epiphany.

You roll your eyes. "I mean why aren't you at school? You don't look old enough to have graduated."

She cocks her head and gives you a look of mock confusion. "But I thought school was over for the day?" she asks.

Your cheeks start to flush red again, but for a different reason. "Well yes, obviously it has now! But you've been here all day!" you grumble at her.

"Have I?" she asks, making another show of thinking intently. "Well I didn't know that. But wouldn't that mean that you've been... watching me?" She flashes you a cheeky grin.

"OH MY GOD!" you exclaim. "WHY ARE YOU BEING SUCH A WEIRDO?!"

"Oh I'm sorry," she giggles. "I didn't realise I was the one being weird. Watching innocent girls while they just want to have a swim! Tsk-tsk."

"I wasn't watching you! I was just bored and looking out the window!"

"And you happened to be looking right at me?"

"NO! I couldn't even see you, I was just looking at the rocks!"

"Because rocks are so much more interesting than a girl."

"OH MY GOD SHUT UP!"

This crazy broad is really starting to piss you off. What's her deal anyway? Where does she get off being so flirty and provocative and hot and wait no fuck you mean goddamnit stupid flighty broads getting in your head and playing mind games. She notices your bridling and cackles again.

"So..." she says, twirling her finger in her hair. "What's your name?"

You take a moment before answering to consider the girl a bit more thoughtfully. Her hair is a mess of orange, somehow dry even though she's evidently been swimming all day. Her eyes are a cool teal, and you suddenly realise just how gorgeous she is. You mean, you already knew she was gorgeous. But she's actually beautiful. Second on your list of sudden realisations is that you are currently staring at this beautiful girl with your mouth hanging open like an idiot. Wake up, dumbass!

"Karkat," you blurt out way too quickly oh my god why are you such a moron for fuck's sake Vantas pull it together. "I mean, err... it's Karkat. Karkat Vantas."

"That's a cute name," she says. "Almost as cute as me."

"Yeah," you say absently, and immediately blush like a dipshit for the umpteenth time.

"My name's Terezi," she says. "Terezi Pyrope."

She extends her hand. "Nice to meet you."

You hesitate, anxious about the thought of holding her hand in yours, then tentatively get up from your sitting position and walk over to her. You reach out and take hold of her hand, and holy fuck her grip is like iron she's going to break your hand oh my god wait why is she grinning like that?

A sly wink and you see what's coming. Far too late, unfortunately. She yanks on your arm, sending you flying over the rocks and into the water behind her. You immediately start to panic and thrash around trying to resurface. Amidst your flailing you catch sight of something; something big, scaly and teal. What the fuck is that? You follow it along and see that it's tipped with fins. Is this a tail? Holy fucking shit is this some kind of giant sea monster come to drag you down to the bottom of the briny depths, never to be seen again? Where's Terezi? Why the fuck did she pull you in like that? Doesn't she know you're terrified of the ocean? On further thought, no of course she wouldn't know that you fucking idiot, you never told her.

You grab onto the tail and start climbing upwards. If it is a sea monster, you at least want to know what it looks like. You follow the scales upward until the scales turn into skin and a bare belly and before you can even wonder what the fuck is going on your face is buried in between two clam shells and you look up to see a shit-eating grin framed by a mess of orange hair. Two arms find their way beneath yours and you feel yourself being hauled up, breaking the surface of the water. You gasp for breath and shake the hair out of your face, crawling back onto the rocks and turning to face the water.

Terezi meets your blank stare with a giggle. "Bet that was a fun adventure, huh Karkat?"

You want to kill her. What kind of insane person just grabs the hand of a stranger they've never met and just heaves them into the ocean. But at the same time you want to kiss her because you are once again captivated by her face.

"We'll have to do this again sometime," she continues. You keep staring at her.

She starts to drift back away from you. You don't move.

"See you around, Karkat." She blows you a kiss winks again before turning around and diving, her tail flicking back up and splashing you with water.

Several minutes pass.

You can't believe this.

You just met a fucking mermaid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my definition of 'soon' is a bit wonky. Okay, a lot wonky.
> 
> Sorry it's so late, but hey at least it's more of a lengthy chapter right? Also more plot shit hell yeah. This story is actually starting to have a story!
> 
> I won't say the next chapter is coming soon, because clearly I'm not very good at delivering on that. So let's just say it's coming.


End file.
